BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra today announced plans for #1MillionHours – a year-long volunteering campaign.

Both stations will be motivating their young listeners to pledge 1 million hours of time to good causes over the next 12 months.

Kicking off on 1st December with the first drive in the lead up to Christmas, and running throughout 2016, the stations will feature all things volunteering in a bid to highlight the benefits of volunteering for young people.

#1MillonHours will see Radio 1 and 1Xtra working with featured charities Age UK, Barnardo’s, Cancer Research UK and Oxfam to highlight volunteering opportunities.

Some of the presenters will also be doing some volunteering themselves and talking about their experiences on-air.

Part of the plan includes a special documentary where Chris Stark heads to the town of Corby in the East Midlands to investigate just how many people it’s possible to sign up to Radio 1’s #1MillionHours initiative in 48 hours. This will air on 22nd December at 9pm.

And a 20 minute visual documentary following the emotional journey of three young people that will be volunteering for the first time will be on Radio 1’s BBC iPlayer channel on 4th December.

Ben Cooper, Controller, Radio 1 and 1Xtra said: “I want BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra to be a force for good in the UK and magnify all the positive work that young people do for others, so we’re very proud to be working alongside some of the most experienced organisations in the country to reach 1 million hours of volunteering.”

A wider BBC volunteering season will be announced next year which will encourage the nation to Do Something Great in 2016.